I need to see this again, but I remember it sacrificing emotional girth for a lot of visual pizazz and plot mumbo-jumbo, a trait that took a much greater toll on its descendant, Steamboy. Unlike Steamboy, however, Akira was delightfully unique.

The humor just isn't for everybody, but I enjoyed it all the same. For all its quirkiness, it really reaches the hearts of its viewers, which is the only thing that matters.
I gave it a "Good" rating because I can recommend it to some people, and not to others.

It's like watching someone's life unfold, the elation and the doldrums. Thank goodness Koyuki's life is interesting. In a way, I could have done without the intense profanity, but it really made the show what it was: an examination of a teenager's coming of age in as bald and beautiful a way as could be portrayed. It wouldn't have been beautiful if most of it wasn't pretty ugly, and I loved the grit of the telling.
I gave it a "Very Good" rating because I think every teenage otaku should see this, or heck, any teenager. It's just so TRUE to real teenagers, how they speak, think and act. And the dub is fantastic.

This would be a masterpiece if it had an ending. Alas, it does not. What it does have is a strong theme, strong characters, a coherent and heart-poundingly engaging plot and...crappy animation. Nothing's perfect, I guess. Crappy or no, though, many of Berserk's strong images will forever be etched into my brain, so the direction achieved what it needed to. It's like a classical Greek legend sprung to fantastic life, and needs to be experienced to really be appreciated.
I gave it a "Very Good" rating because I think, squeamishness aside, that it's a really universal story and 100% grippingly executed. Too bad no one at OLM thought to go against the manga and finish the epic they started! :(

It may be one of the sillier anime out there that takes itself far too seriously, but gosh-darn it, The Big O is a lot of fun! Roger Smith really makes the show, though. He is THE Batman of anime just like Lupin is its James Bond/Indiana Jones.
I gave it a "Good" because while I can technically recommend it to anyone, I'd recommend it offhand with a "It's a good way to blow twenty minutes" kind of thing. It really really is a great way to blow twenty minutes, though!

Too hardcore in the action/language and directionless in its explicit punches for me to really love this. (Ever since watching Trigun, pure ballz action movies don't do it for me anymore.) I had the same issues getting through the Watchmen graphic novel as I did pushing through this. Still, it has its merits and the characters are distinctive and well-executed.

My sister loves this movie. I love watching it with her. But would I watch it by myself? The answer to this question is NOOOO. I was pleased to hear some fave actors in the dub, though. R.I.P. Peter Boyle.
I gave it a "Decent" rating because I really did enjoy watching it...but it's just so weird, with too many sudden contrivances, and rather cliche in the kids' movie department.

The only time overwhelming innocence has conquered overwhelming fanservice for me. I really can't view the panty shots and whatnot in this show as cheap and exploitative, somehow it feels like they're (weird) essential to the purity of the story. It's definitely the best thing to come out of CLAMP as far as uniqueness goes, but the real twist here is that Chobits actually contains a fair amount of depth in its cutesy luv-luv fest. It doesn't really follow up on that depth, and suffers from the manga-truism bug in the end, but Chobits is a diamond in its own ocean of rough that you expect when you turn it on. (Make a drinking game out of how many times they say "underpants" in episode 4, and you will die from alcohol poisoning.)
I gave it a "Good" because while a sickening moe-fest, it's really well-written in its own right. You know, odd as it seems, I think this show had the capability to be a masterpiece if it were done just a little differently! :D

This show also has the capability to be a masterpiece in terms of plot, animation, and a few characters, but falls to sophomoric melodrama. Still, if you're willing to invest the time and attention to its story, it's worth the ride. You just kind of have to turn your brain off to take it seriously...how ironic that it airs right next to Death Note.
I gave it a "Good" for close to the same reasons as The Big O, except that Code Geass is more dramatic and its hooks are more akin to those of a soap opera than an action movie.

Nothing out there is like Cowboy Bebop, and yet, everything out there is like Cowboy Bebop. How is that? It really is a genre unto itself. Do the music styles dictate the story, or does the story dictate the music? Or is it all meshed and mingled because, really, the story IS the music and vice versa and the marriage between them is a masterpiece. I also have to give props to this show for good subtlety in the dialogue, something most anime sorely lacks. I have to fart in the general direction of people who say Cowboy Bebop is just "simple entertainment." HA! It's almost like visual (or aural) literature. But great art should not solely be intellectual. It can, and should, often be entirely enjoyable and great great fun.
I gave it a "Masterpiece" for leaving me staring at a black screen for about five minutes after it ended, speechless. Anything that leaves me speechless for immediately afterwards and then you can't shut me up the next day, that's a Masterpiece.

Not quite on par with the original show (every anime movie is like this, though) but enjoyable in its own right, it stands as good as or better than many American action movies, and that's really all that matters...but we get the gang of the Bebop as our leads, and that is super-de-dooper!
I gave it an "Excellent" maybe not for story/technical merit, but it really does "need to be on every collector's shelf." ...And it is related to Bebop, giving it brownie points.

Surprised me. I didn't expect much from this title, and now I wish I could see it again to closer follow it and give it a proper rating. Again, great dialogue subtlety...half the time. The other half was a little too much exposition, the GitS problem, but the great progression nearly makes this forgivable.

Wow, this was pretty bad, actually. It was corny, the art style bugged me, and there was nothing particularly engaging about it. The plot was aimless and uninteresting, the characters were cardboard and unendearing, and I'm still not entirely sure what the series was trying to do that hasn't been done a thousand times before...but I liked Vic Mignogna in it. (It's still about the worst role he's played because it was so flat, though.)
I gave it a "Not Really Good" because it was an odd premise and had its moments...but underneath that, well, what was there?

There's a reason they make these plots into anime. Death Note was a little silly in animated form, and suddenly...it's a LOT SILLY.
I gave it a Weak (actually, I gave it two hours! har har...) because there's nothing to get out of it that you couldn't get out of the infinitely more engaging anime...in fact it's a significant step down from the anime. Even the superb portrayal of L is sub-par compared to what the animation of the TV series could do with his impish adorable creepy-alien quality that could never quite be duplicated in live-action, ever.

This show also has the capability to be a masterpiece in terms of plot, animation, and a few characters, but falls to sophomoric melodrama. Still, if you're willing to invest the time and attention to its story, it's well worth the ride. You just kind of have to turn your brain off to take it seriously...how ironic that it airs right next to Code Geass. It gets a lot of points for uniqueness and thrills alone, honestly. It may be rather goofy when you sit back and think about it, but it's masterfully plotted, and I think the creator himself is a genius to come up with these interweaving plans, plots, and schemes. They start to weaken later in the original story, but the anime glosses that over pretty well.
I gave it a "Very Good" because I feel like I can recommend it to just about anybody. For all its shortcomings, there's a lot in this show that I could say "I haven't really seen this done before" to, and that's a plus. Opposite of Cowboy Bebop, however, in that fans make it out to be really "deep" when in reality its pretty "Light" entertainment, dark in tone but simplistic in any kind of intellectual sense apart from its convoluted plot.

Anime Goods

Organize & Discover

Paul takes a look at Madhouse's avant-garde movie about the underworld with a dub produced by Youtubers, plus a brand-new Shelf Obsessed submission and all this week's new anime releases!― By the time you read this, I'll probably be digging out from a foot or more of snow. I was totally planning on going outside and being productive over the weekend and definitely wasn't looking for an excuse to st...

The infamous Slayer's story extends beyond the anime in these two action-packed volumes. How will these new challenges affect these unconventional adventurers?― While the story arcs covered by the 2018 anime adaptation begin the work of showing how Goblin Slayer's new party helps him recover some of his lost humanity, the events of volumes five and six really kick that job into high gear. What's als...

As it turns out, "you've been transported to another world!" has been a storytelling device since the dawn of time. Mike takes a fascinating trip through the history of the genre.― Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw a remarkable animated film about the chronicles of a troubled man with a life full of problems, who's whisked away from the world he knows to a new and different parallel universe—one whe...

This fantasy adventure indulges some familiar tropes but strays just far enough from the beaten path to keep things interesting. Rebecca Silverman dives in.― Cross Infinite World tends to focus more on light novel translations, but the few manga titles they've also licensed are interesting. Tia la Cherla is a straight fantasy (as opposed to the historical fantasy, isekai, and urban fantasy of their ...

A young woman gets spirited away to a world of ayakashi and discovers new passions in this charming romance manga. Rebecca Silverman has the details.― Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits' first volume and its 2018 anime are both adaptations of author Midori Yuma's original light novel, and as such, this book brings something a little different to the table than the anime. That said, even if you ne...

Shoji Kawamori's latest fantasy mech adventure has finally come to an end on Netflix, leaving lots of crazy questions in its wake. Nick and Micchy share what they loved about the show and what left them scratching their heads.― Shoji Kawamori's Last Hope has finally come to an end on Netflix, leaving lots of crazy questions in its wake. This week, Nick and Micchy share what they loved about the sho...

Lauren Orsini takes an in-depth look at this Perfect Grade model kit to determine if this beloved release is a good choice for newcoming or veteran Gundam builders.― Gundam Astray Red Frame has its origins in the manga Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray. Published by Tokyopop, this manga has been out of print in the US since 2004. Nevertheless, its lead mobile suit's samurai-inspired design has captiva...